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Synonyms

under a cloud

Idioms  

  1. Under suspicion, in trouble, or out of favor, as in Ever since his brother was accused of fraud, he's been under a cloud. This metaphoric expression calls up the image of a single black cloud hanging over an individual. [c. 1500]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Plenty knew Lord Mandelson was a big character, a risky pick, a man with a biography scattered with previous examples of departing high office under a cloud.

From BBC

Such was the oddity of Anthony Joshua v Jake Paul even taking place, the fight landed on Netflix under a cloud of suspicion that boxing had surrendered itself to choreography.

From BBC

Tricolor Holdings filed for bankruptcy in September, coming under a cloud of suspicion about its business practices and sparking fears of a domino effect on banks.

From MarketWatch

Yet it has taken time for Garnacho to play this well for Chelsea, having left under a cloud at Old Trafford.

From BBC

Two China hands are under a cloud, perhaps permanently and perhaps undeservedly.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.